


Memory Loss (Mirage x Wraith, One shot)

by Fetronic



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Brief Wattson Cameo, F/M, Mentions of Bangalor, Mentions of Caustic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22244992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fetronic/pseuds/Fetronic
Summary: Mirage wakes up after being unconscious to find out that he has won another Apex Game, with the help of his teammates Lifeline and Wraith of course. He, however, does not remember why he was unconscious, and nobody can tell him what happened other than Wraith. When Wraith pushes everyone away far more than she usually does, Mirage has to work up the courage to talk to her and get his answers.
Relationships: Mirage | Elliott Witt/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	Memory Loss (Mirage x Wraith, One shot)

“You are the Apex Champions” An all too familiar voice blared all through King's Canyon.

Mirage was helped to his feet by Lifeline, something she could now do safely since the games are over and there was no one left to shoot them.

“You fought good out there Mirage, glad ta see ya riskin' yourself for otha's this time around.” Lifeline said as she brought Mirage to his feet, and helped brushed off the sand a dust on his suit.

“Oh, yeah, pssh, no biggie. That's what teammates are for!” Mirage brushed both the compliment and more sand out of his beard, he watched as the ring around them flickered and dissipated.

“Yeah... thanks.” Wraith spoke up, not really paying too much attention to Mirage to help him.  
  


Mirage wasn't paying attention either, as he looked around King's Canyon again for the umpteenth time; still being marveled at how beautiful it is when the game finished for the day. The sun setting in the west by Airbase and Runoff made for a stunning cliff side view, and the shadows cast onto the Cliffs, Mountains, and Buildings in the east were a sight of their own. The cool clash of dark shadows crawling up the once sun-beaten walls and doors almost made the area look peaceful. Still, however, Mirage was waiting for some new scenery. It had been a long time in King's Canyon and maybe the Leviathans and Flyers invading the fighting space would convince the executives running this show to move somewhere that's less wildlife-y.

Mirage, pleased with his performance today, stopped looking wistfully at the now darkening area and began to catch up to his team, who were already on their way to the winner's cliff.

“Hey, wait up!” Mirage called out, and eventually caught up to them. “Come on guys, you-” He caught his breath, “-you wouldn't leave me behind, right?”

“Mmmm, depends if you were the one who ate my tuna salad I was savin' in da fridge or not.” Lifeline teased.  
  


“I-I- How- Yo- No, I would never.” Mirage stammered, “You think so little of me to accuse _me_ of being the lunch thief?... At least, I don't remember doing it- OW!” He felt a spike of pain on the back of his skull, and placed his hand on it. “Hey, guys, what happened while I was down? Did somebody try and shoot me in the head?”

“You fell and hit it on a big rock.” Wraith replied, still not looking at him as Lifeline had when she spoke to him.

“Oh, ouch, did you see how hard I fell?” Mirage asked curiously.

“Y- No. I didn't.” Wraith cut herself off.  
  
“What'ya mean you didn't see it? He fell right in front of you, yknow, after he-” Lifeline was also cut off, but by the small aircraft that had just hovered over them to pick them up. It had dropped it's ladder and was waiting for the Champions to climb aboard. 

Lifeline got in first, then followed by Wraith. Mirage, however, took the small amount of time he had left to get a good look of the battlefield today, but frowned when he couldn't really remember what went down that game. It was unusual for Mirage to not remember a game he had just won, and he was even more upset by the fact that he couldn't recall his KDR either. The bump on his head strikes back with a vengeance this time as it sharply pinched Mirage again, subsequently pulling him out of his own head. He climbed up the ladder and took a seat with the others.

The small aircraft rose from it's hovering position as it slowly made it's way to the highest point in King's Canyon. An intercom spoke up, the person behind it identity-less and bland as usual, like a crew-pit member in a race car race. “Hello Champions, we need you to take your usual quick picture to mark your win and you can go back to the Dropship for the day. Wraith, you in the front. Mirage and Lifeline to the left and right of her, in that order, Understood?”   
  


“Eyep.” “Sure.” Mirage and Lifeline responded simultaneously.

“What? Why do I have to be in the front? Mirage did more damage this game why can't he be in front?” Wraith protested, which had caught both the other champions off guard.

The voice boomed back, “Because you were the one with the most kills Wraith, don't argue with the rules of the game.”

Wraith slumped down in her seat and crossed her arms, and the other two caught a quick glance of a pout before she turned her head away to look out the window. “Fine, whatever.”

Mirage whispered to Lifeline, “What's her deal, she's not the kinda person who'd turn down being  _the_ champion of the match?” 

“I agree she's actin' very strange, lemmie see what's goin' on.” Lifeline got up and talked to Wraith, leaving Mirage with his thoughts.

Mirage kept rubbing the back of his head, it didn't hurt as much as it was sore. He'd try to think back to why he got it, he was told his head slammed on a rock but was that it? Two squads left, both his squad and the other had time to heal before catching up with each other. He was against... he was against... “Ow! Damnit.” Mirage quietly cursed himself out as his head hurt again. He knew these people, he lived with them, how could he not remember who he was fighting? Mirage gave up for now, and focused on relaxing his head. After a few seconds of massaging and rubbing the pain went away.

* * *

The champion photo shoot went quickly, they got Wraith to say a couple intimidating lines to record for next game tomorrow and got some good descending shots on the champions of the day. Usual, boring stuff. The ride to the Legend's Retreat, the bar that the Apex Legends were required to visit once a week after their match, however, was very quiet. Nobody said a word, the uncomfortable atmosphere was so thick you could cut a knife through it. But, after what felt like hours of silence, the Champions made landed safely and got out.

Wraith walked out with her head low and her hands to herself. Mirage and Lifeline followed suit, with a bit more pep in their step. They were greeted with cheers of admiration and endearment, and Mirage signed merch and fan-art as he went along his trip into the Retreat's lounge area. After the usual red carpet walk when legends arrive as champions, Mirage pulled Lifeline aside.

“Hey,” he said rather quickly, “Did you find out what was wrong with Wraith?” He had a look of genuine concern, which made Lifeline chuckle a bit.

“I did find out, but I can't tell ya. Sorry, patient confidentiality.” Lifeline smiled a bit as she gently pushed past Mirage.  
  
“What- But- Oh come on Lifeline you can't be- Fuck.. you're serious. How else am I supposed to find out?” Mirage called back to her before she was lost in the crowd.

“Why don't'cha ask her yourself, Mr. Machismo.” With that, Lifeline disappeared into the lounge, talking to the fans that payed too much to come see the Legends.

A cold sweat went down Mirage's forehead, he wasn't really all that prepared to confront anybody, let alone Wraith. She's always been somebody who keeps to herself, but now it feels like she doesn't want anything to do with anybody. If only he could understand why without having to talk to her, that would make thing so much easier. He just had to think, and remember what happened in that match.  
  
“Two squads left,” Mirage recapped in a hushed tone, slightly straining himself in the process, “Two squads left, the ring was close. I had a... Wingman and... oh come on, think Elliot! I had a wingman and... no ammo. I had no ammo, and there was only one squads left, and they were C-Caustic? Caustic! And, and, and...”

Mirage's head had started to seer with pain again, but he ignored it as he felt he would lose this streak. He looked around the room to try to see if any of the other legend's faces would jog his memory. “Gibraltar? No. Octane? Nope. Bangalor... Banga-Banga-Bang- YES!” He covered his mouth slightly at the outburst.

He returned to his hushed tone and began straining once more. “Bangalore, Caustic, and...-”  
  
“Hi Friend!” a robotic voice cut Mirage's concentration, “You look like you are in pain, is there anything I can do?”

“What? No, no, I'm ok. Just, leave me alone for a while. I'm thinking.” Mirage brushed him off, he wasn't in the mood to talk to Pathfinder right now.

“Oh, you are thinking? No wonder I smell smoke, Ha Ha.” A laughing face appeared on Pathfinder's screen before switching to his usual smile. “Ok friend, I will leave you to it. Have a nice evening!”

“Yeah, you too Pathfind- PATHFINDER!” Mirage shouted, once again. People head's turned this time, looking at Mirage before quickly going back to doing what they were doing. He had remembered the squad he was fighting, and Pathfinder was the last person in it. He wasn't super close with anyone in that squad other than Pathfinder, so he was Mirage's only hope at finding answers.

“Yes, friend? Something you need?”

“Yeah, yes, there is something I need. Can you tell me what transpieerrr- transpaahh- transp- what went down last match?”

“Oh, yes I do remember. I downed you, it was quite exhilarating.” Pathfinder clapped his hands quickly, only recently have picked up the quirk from Wattson.

“You downed me? Did you see what happened when I fell? I hit my head on a rock right?” Mirage unloaded Pathfinder with questions, hoping that he'd have answers to at least one of them.

“Yes, you- Oh wait, I'm not supposed to say anything to you about it. Sorry.” Pathfinder's screen displayed a frowny face and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“What? Why not, who programmed you to keep secrets buddy?” Mirage put his hand on Pathfinder's shoulder, giving him a look of worry.

Pathfinder pat Mirage's hand and brushed his concerns off. “Do not worry Mirage, I was told to keep this secret. I am not in any danger of malware or alternate coding. I have defenses for that!” Pathfinder equips his beacon attachment and it lights up with electricity. He jabs a couple times to drive the point home.

“Soooo who told you?” Mirage asked, still as lost and puzzled as ever.

“Oh, right. Lifeline did, she said to keep it a secret for Wraith. She was emotionally distressed.”

“Oh, wow ok.” Mirage was left kind of speechless, he wasn't aware she was actually feeling bad enough to call it 'Emotional Distress.' Or that could be Pathfinder using bigger words to be specific, doesn't really matter. “Hey, thanks Buddy. I think I know what I need to do now.” Mirage brushes his fingers through his hair and sighs.

“You do? That's wonderful. I know what I want to do as well, I am going to talk to my new Friend. She's a Bartender, and cute. But don't tell people I said that, or word will get out and ruin the surprise.” Pathfinder responded.

Mirage was spacing out, not really paying attention to what his friend had just said. “Uh-huh, sure thing Pal. Good luck with that.”

“Thanks, you too!”

* * *

The Legend's Retreat was a public lounge for the Apex games. It was always a busy place with people paying top dollar to hang out with the Legends themselves after a match. There was, however, a place the legends can go to get away from the public if they were exhausted, simply known as the Hideout. Mirage had a feeling that Wraith would be there, as she sometimes is when she's not in a good mood. He took a deep breath, psyched himself up, and pushed back the black curtains and stuck his head in. “Helloooooo~?”

The room was a lot darker than the rest of the lounge, with the only lighting coming from soft String-A-Long lights mounted next to the walls and at the edge of the ceiling. The seats were a collection of padded booths all connected together to make a long sideways C, with the gap facing the entrance.

Wraith wasn't alone in the Hideout, she was talking quietly with Wattson. They both turned their heads to the poked out Mirage head that had just addressed them, but turned back and continued talking without responding to him.

Mirage pulled his head back out and sighed again, his body was shaking slightly and he needed to calm himself down. He took a couple deep breaths, and reminded himself that he was  _the_ most charismatic Legend in the Apex games. He can do this, it's, just, talking. Not hard, he's done more socially draining things, like autograph breasts of strangers. Yeah, he can do this. It's just like signing a tiddy, just get the job done and you're good.

Mirage stepped in and all of his confidence left his body, he slightly waved at the two women. “Hi, h-hello, I uhh... hate to interrupt Gal time but I umm... need to talk to Wraith.”

Wattson smiled at Mirage, then looked back at Wraith. “Good luck, mon amie.” Wattson got up and walked past Mirage, letting another smile escape before leaving.

“Oooohh-kay. I need to talk to you, Wraith. About today?” Mirage kept himself from stammering.

“Fine, I knew you'd be here eventually. You've been asking around instead of coming to me?” Wraith raised her eyebrow at him, seemingly already knowing the answer.

“What? N-No, nah, I wouldn't- I'd totally come to you first, heh. Promise. So, about what happened today?” Mirage walked over and took a seat next to Wraith.

She tensed up slightly, but didn't shift positions or move away from Mirage. “What do you want to know? I'm all ears.”

Mirage took his chance to get to the point, “What happened today? I hit my head on the way down and I haven't been able to remember why. I've been having memory problems, and you've been avoiding me more than usual, what did I do?”

“Nothing,” Wraith said quickly, “you didn't do anything wrong...” There was a moment of silence, and the tension was thick once more.

“Look, if I did something stupid or said something dumb on the way down I am truly sorry, I never meant t-” Mirage was cut off by Wraith.

“Look, Mirage, taking a bullet for me isn't stup- nevermind, you were being very stupid.” Wraith spoke out and wasn't able to catch herself. She turned away from Mirage and avoided eye contact.  
  


“That's... that's it? I took a bullet for you and you're mad at me over it?” Mirage's awkwardness dissolved as he is thrown off guard for someone taking offense to it.

“No, I'm not mad at you. Why do you keep saying I'm mad at you, can't you see I'm- never mind. It's nothing. You got your answers, now go away.” Wraith scooted slightly away from Mirage.

“Wraith you're giving me more questions than you're answering,” Mirage scooted closer to try and connect with her, “I know I can be a dolt when it comes to this sort of stuff but you can't just leave me in the dark.”

“I'm not leaving you in the dark, I mean I am but- it's stupid, you're not stupid, I mean you are stupid but- just never mind. This is dumb, I'm dumb.” Wraith curled up slightly, her voice cracking a bit under the pressure.

“It's ok,” Mirage put his hand on her shoulder, once again trying to get her to open up, “I know it can be hard to do, well everything in my case, but whatever it is you're feeling you can tell me. I'm not going to make fun of you or tell anyone if you don't want me t-” Mirage was, again, interrupted. A whisper flew into his ear, it was faint and unnatural. It echoed in his head but he couldn't decipher what it meant.

Then, Wraith did something he'd never expect her to do to anyone. She threw herself onto Mirage's chest, and kissed him. It was a long peck, nothing more. But it was far more than what he's ever legitimately gotten from someone. Wraith parted the kiss, and looked down. Mirage could clearly see her face being a bright red.

“You... You... kissed, me?” Mirage was baffled, befuddled, perplexed, and all the other words he couldn't pronounce easily. “I-I-I-I don't know... what to say.”

Wraith put herself in the most vulnerable position she's ever been in, and after not getting any clear signal that Mirage liked it she started to pull herself away. “This was a bad idea, I shouldn't have-” but this time it was her turn to get interrupted.

Mirage wrapped his arms around Wraith and pulled her into a hug, not too strong but with enough grip that she knew he meant it. “Don't go. P-Please don't think I disliked it, the kiss I mean. It was... nice. You're nice. Please don't leave.” With Mirage's arms wrapped around Wraith, he could faintly hear another whisper. It was echo-y like before, but he could actually understand this one. It was a simple, “Good Job.” He wasn't sure who that was or who the voice was talking to, but he didn't care right now. Right now it was just him and Wraith in an embrace.

“Ok, I won't. Thank you, Mirage. For today, and talking to me. You're... not too bad.” Wraith slowly embraced the hug, and buried her face in his chest. This was nice. Together. Them. Alone. It had been a while since she felt like a person again, someone who was liked back.

“Hey, you're a lot more cuddlier than I thought you were, we should do this more often.” Mirage's confidence came back as he started to sound like himself again.  
  


“Don't push it.” Wraith replied.

“Right, baby steps Elliot, baby steps.”


End file.
